


warring stars

by sunkelles



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Poetry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-15
Updated: 2016-05-13
Packaged: 2018-06-02 09:59:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6561964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunkelles/pseuds/sunkelles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>star wars character study poems told in second person.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ahsoka tano

**Author's Note:**

> as a birthday present to myself i decided to finally post my angsty ahsoka & anakin poem on here and will make it into a series. (if you're familiar with my series of asoiaf character poems, this will be much like those)
> 
> you're welcome?

you are no jedi, **  
**

not anymore.

you weren’t at the temple,

and you aren’t on malachor.

 

you are a force user,

fulcrum, a symbol of dissent,

a leader, a killer, a _rebel_

you are ahsoka tano,

and you are a survivor.

 

you face darth vader,

head held high,

lightsabers in hand,

and rage in your heart.

 

you fight for the master you lost,

the master you left,

you force down the visions,

and convince yourself that he is dead.

 

he’s not, of course

he _couldn’t_ be dead.

anakin skywalker was too strong to die,

but not strong enough to survive.

 

he is the monster in the mask,

the one that killed the jedi,

desecrated the temple,

and breathed life into the empire.

 

you are no jedi,

and you are no longer his padawan.

but you will not leave anakin in the dark,

you will not let him face his demons alone.

 

he is a sith now,

a man made a monster,

and you blame yourself,

for leaving him, for loving him,

you blame yourself for all of it.

 

you are no jedi,

but he is a sith,

the sith deal in absolutes.

and you are his _enemy._

 

you know where this ends,

but you don’t care.

he is worth fighting for,

worth trying for, maybe worth dying for. 

 

you will not leave him,

not again, _never_ again,

but you are not his ally,

which means that you must die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next on the docket is anakin


	2. anakin skywalker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> your second word is master

i. 

 

your first word is mama **  
**

but your second word is master

you grow up a slave,

with little hope of being anything else.

 

your mother loves you with all of her heart,

but she is just one woman,

with no freedom or credits to her name.

you will never leave tatooine.

 

at least, that’s what you think.

then you meet two jedi,

and a girl that looks like an angel.

her eyes are warmer than your suns.

 

“i’m a person,” you tell her,

but you’re not sure how to be your own.

 

in the end, the jedi get you,

but they can’t free your mother too.

you will never say mama again,

but you will never stop saying master.

 

ii.

 

your first few weeks in the order,

you learn a few things.

 

sometimes master means teacher,

or expert, or the best of the best,

but you know that master means owner too.

 

no matter how long you are in the order,

you doubt you will forget that one.

you remember every time that you say it

that you have never belonged to yourself.

and now, with the order, you know you never will.

 

you are a person, just as you told padmé,

but you are still not your own person,

 

you belong to the order now,

which is a step up from watto.

at least jedi is a kinder word than slave,

and obi wan makes a good master.

 

iii. 

 

years down the line, 

you become your own jedi,

a knight in your own right,

 

obi wan becomes more a friend than a master,

and a huge weight lifts off your shoulders.

you have a friend, almost a brother,

and you have never felt more right.

 

then, suddenly you are the master,

ahsoka tano is assigned to you without your consent,

you belong to the Order, they don’t need to ask your opinion

but after one mission, you’re already attached to her.

 

she’s reckless and irresponsible,

she flies into danger without a second thought,

and she snips right back at you when you tease her.

she reminds you so much of yourself that it hurts.

 

you care for her more than anything,

and you try not to think of the day she will become a knight,

and you will stop being her master.

 

you can’t stand the thought of losing her,

of letting her go, so you never think about it.

ahsoka is your padawan, and you are her master.

for as long as you remain in the order, that is the way that it will stay.

 

iv. 

 

you can’t protect ahsoka from everything, it seems

but you can try. 

you bring the terrorist to justice, 

and get ahsoka reinstated into the order. 

 

you return her braid, your smile so wide your face almost hurts.

you’ve never been so happy in your life.

you saved her, and now she can return to you.

you’re her master, and now things can go back to the way that they were.

 

ahsoka, however, thinks differently, 

ahsoka wants to _leave_

you can understand the impulse, but not the execution. 

 

everything ahsoka _has_ is in the order. 

her life, her livelyhood, _you_

she belongs to the order as much as you, 

as obi wan, as yoda

but ahsoka does not see it that way, and she will not return

you are ahsoka's master,

but it means that you're her teacher.

you are not her owner,

and you can't stop her from leaving.

 

you forget, sometimes, about the different meanings of master

teacher, expert, owner

sometimes, it's so hard to tell the difference.

 

ahsoka is gone, and you feel lonely to you core,

you are not a master anymore.

 

v. 

 

the clone wars rage on and on,

and padmé falls pregnant.

you are bombarded by visions of her death,

and can feel your jedi resolve starting to crumble.

 

as this happens, you are appointed to the jedi council.

chancellor palpatine trusts you,

and has always been a friend to you.

he thinks that you should be his go-between,

and a jedi master in your own right.

the council disagrees,

and will use you as a spy but not promote you.

 

you realize, then, that you will never be a jedi master,

they will never let you rise that far.

you are the slave from tatooine,

the jedi the order didn't want.

the reckless general, the failed master,

the padawan obi wan never wanted to train.

 

obi wan has never valued you, never believed in you,

and it hurts to think of him that way,

the man you came to think of as a brother,

but he never wanted you for a padawan,

and he never vouched for you at all.

 

you will never be a master,

and with the jedi, you will never save your wife.

you remember ahsoka, walking away from the order,

and know, deep within you, that it doesn’t truly own you.

 

you pledge yourself to palpatine,

and you hope padmé will forgive you,

for selling your soul to try to save her.

 

he calls you vader,

and you call him master.

you do not know this is the way things will always be.

 

vi. 

 

ahsoka is gone, Obi Wan a traitor,

and padmé and your child are dead.

you have no one to love anymore,

and your reasons to live are gone.

 

you have a name that is not your own,

a body made mainly of metal,

a blood red lightsaber,

and a master you chose in desperation.  

 

you are darth vader, now

there is no one left for you to save,

and there is no one left to save you.

you kneel before the master of you and the galaxy.

 

you remind yourself, futilely, that master has many meanings,

that it can mean teacher, or expert, or best,

but as you kneel before him,

you remember _bitterly_ that master can mean owner too.

 

sometimes, it’s so hard to tell the difference.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think that barriss offee will probably be next. her, or one of the ghost crew


	3. bo-katan kryze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “clan kryze,” you say, “not house.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, it's actually bo-Katan!!! 
> 
> I took liberties here

i. 

 

your father is the manda’lore, 

the one who finally reunited all of the mandalorians. 

his is a rule built on conquest and rebirth, 

one built on the old ways and building new ones. 

 

he is the manda’lore, but he is your father too, 

and he loves both of his children equally. 

satine is the eldest, the heir

but you are the foundation. 

 

you learn to aim a blaster and throw a punch 

as you learn your mando’a letters. 

“my little warrior,” he calls you,

eyes crinkling with a wide smile.

 

he couldn’t be prouder of his daughters, 

the future backbone of his people

satine is to be the strategist, the ruler, 

she was born to be the manda’lore

 

but you, you were born be to your sister’s sword arm, 

to serve your clan, 

to serve your people,

you were never born to rule. 

 

that was your father, your sister, 

you are bo-katan of clan kryze, 

the dragon, the warrior, _never_ the ruler

and you prefer it that way. 

 

ii.

 

you are sixteen, and satine is nineteen when your father dies, 

the planet weeps for the manda’lore

your sister’s first act as manda’lore is to abolish the title.

she takes the title “duchess” instead.

 

you should have taken that as the ill-omen it was, 

but you ignored it. 

one little change isn’t disregarding your entire culture, 

but little changes snowball into bigger ones. 

 

the “new mandalorians” they call themselves, 

weaklings, the lot of them, 

calling for pacifism, 

calling for mandalore to lie down and die. 

 

it disgusts you, and you say as much. 

why shouldn’t you? you know you’re right, 

the same way you know you are clan kryze, 

the knowledge is instinctive, bone deep

 

you think it is for your sister too, 

until she pledges her _support_ for them

calling for pacifism, 

for nonviolence, for _peace_. 

 

it turns your stomach, 

and you can barely look her in the eye

she has forgotten who you are, 

who _she_ is. 

 

she is meant to be the manda’lore, 

to follow in your father’s footsteps. 

she is meant to expand your empire, 

not let it wither and die. 

 

you bite your tongue for months, 

hoping she will see the folly of her ways, 

hoping that this _death watch_ will scare some sense into her. 

 

the months pass and the attacks get worse, 

to the point where the jedi council is considering intervening. 

and satine won’t lift a finger to fight, 

to protect her people. 

 

“you won’t even fight these insurgents,” you say, rage boiling in your veins. 

“bo,” satine says softly, “please understand. we don’t _have_ to fight.” 

but you are too angry to see straight, too angry to even listen.

all you know is that your sister is a traitor. 

 

your older sister has let you down, 

let mandalore down, 

she is no ruler worth serving, 

and you will not do it simply because she is family. 

 

“bo,” she says, “please understand.” 

but you can’t understand, you won’t

you _will never_ understand

you can’t even try to. 

 

she is betraying the way that things have always been

the way that they should _always_ _be_

 

you leave that night, 

and it hurts. 

you’ve never been away from your sister this long, 

but you can’t stay any longer. 

 

mandalore deserves a better ruler, 

and you know exactly where to look. 

 

iii. 

 

you search for death watch for months, 

but in the end, it’s death watch that finds you. 

 

pre vizsla, who swore undying allegiance to satine only a year ago

holds a black lightsaber to your throat. 

“who are you,” he demands, his blade ghosting against your throat. 

“bo-katan,” you say. 

“kryze?” he asks, remembrance in his voice. 

“clan kryze,” you say, “not house.” 

 

your clan is set from the moment of your birth.

a kryze will always be a kryze,

a wren will always be a wren,

because your clan is your kin,

 

but your house, you can _change_ that.

your house is your loyalty, your allegiance,

anyone can change that, and _you_ will. 

 

“not house?” he says, “that’s a bold statement. are you a traitor, bo-katan?” 

“i’m done with house kryze,” you say, 

“i owe my sister no allegiance. 

and it looks like you don’t either, vizsla.” 

 

he laughs as he withdraws his saber. 

“what do you want, not-kryze?” 

his followers are starring you down, 

daring you to turn back. 

 

“you’re the leader of death watch,” you say. 

“is that a question?” he asks, cocky smirk on his face. 

“are you or aren’t you,” you demand. 

“i am,” vizsla declares, with no hint of shame

 

he does not feel a traitor to your sister, 

but satine is a traitor to the old ways of mandalore, 

and no fit ruler of the mandalorians. 

you don’t feel like he should. 

 

you take a deep breath, and steel your nerves

you never thought you’d have to change your allegiance, 

to swear yourself to a different house, 

but you are not above trying. 

 

you know the process, 

you, unlike your sister, paid attention to mandalorian history. 

you drop to your knees and bow your head. 

“i forswear house kryze,” you say, 

words bold and filled with feeling, 

“and pledge myself to house vizsla.” 

 

there is murmuring among the crowd, 

and vizsla says nothing. 

for a whole blasted _minute_ , vizsla says nothing. 

 

“do you accept my allegiance or not?” you growl, and vizsla laughs. 

“rise,” he drawls, “bo-katan of clan kryze, house vizsla.”

you rise, and look over the lord you’ve bound yourself to

 

pre looks every bit a warrior king, with his dark green armor, and cocksure grin

a feral smile passes over your face, 

and you can already see where this will end,

you will be sword arm to a manda’lore yet. 


	4. savage oppress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brother, you think,  
> Giddy and guilty and confused

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so this one is hella long. i hope you guys like savage oppress because i wrote a novel about him and his brothers.
> 
> this one's called "the monster they made you"

i. 

 

When you awaken, you feel empty,

Angry, a bit like you’ve lost something,

But you can’t remember what it is.

You can’t remember much of anything.

 

Bitterness and rage fill you,

And you open your eyes to see the nightsisters.

The one dressed all black in, oh

_You remember her._

 

At least, you remember hating her.

Your fist closes tightly around her neck,

before you even realize you’ve done it.

 

“Let me go,” she orders

And you cannot help but obey,

You stand, and try to orient yourself.

You don’t know what’s happened at all.

 

She says something about a test,

But you’re still disoriented,

You think you pledged your life to her.

You also think that you regret it.

 

They drag in their prisoner,

A small zabrak who looks dreadfully familiar.

He says your name, _Savage_

And you stare onward.

 

You do not know who he is,

And all you feel is hate.

_Kill him,_ the woman orders,

And since you can’t kill her,

You’ll have to kill him instead.  

 

“Savage, you know me _,_ ” he pleads, 

“I am your kin. Do not do this!”

 

You think, for a moment, that you might remember him,

So you stand there, watching on.

 

Then comes a slap, an order,

_I said kill him._

And your hand encircles his throat before you’ve decided to.

His throat is tiny, fragile in your hands.

 

_No, brother, brother please_

And then, you feel disdain

“You beg?” you say, “Weakling.”

_only one will survive._

 

You tighten your grip,

_“Savage”_ he says, and his puny neck snaps in your hands.

You drop him, and his small form falls to the floor,

It crumples in a heap.

 

She praises you, tells you that you will draw strength from your emotions,

And never to sympathize with the enemy.

You feel nothing but anger, and hatred,

But you suppose she can teach you how to use it.

 

You call her sister,

And decide she might be worth fighting for.

You know, instinctively, that there is nothing else left for you

So you allow your masters to guide you to Dooku.

 

  
ii. 

 

You follow Dooku,

And think that you might learn to like him.

Maybe, possibly, probably not.

You do not think you could like anything.

 

“You ignorant beast,” Dooku sneers,

“I told you I wanted him alive.”

 

Lightning springs from his fingertips,

And pain shoots through your body.

White hot, electric, just like the lightning.

“Forgive me, my master,” you say,

and you feel disdain for yourself.

 

_You beg? Weakling._

 

_“_ That is not the way of the dark side,” he says,

And he shocks you all over again.

Then, the door opens up,

And salvation walks in.

 

“Ventress,” Dooku growls.

“That’s no way to treat your apprentice,” she drawls,

“I should know.”

Dooku tries to sic you on her.

 

And you would kill her,

oh _Force_ you would,

But the thought dies in your mind

As she messes around in it.

 

You declare her your mistress, not of your own accord,

And suddenly, you are drawing your lightsaber,

And an all out war breaks out,

 

Saber meets saber,

Lightning meets your chest,

And Ventress meets orders you cannot carry out.

She blames you for her failure,

And rage courses through your veins.

 

You pick them both up by their throats,

But your hands never touch them,

And you throw them to the ground.

 

You are on your own side now.

You will be no one’s pawn,

No one’s apprentice,

And no one’s servant.

  
And then, there are Jedi,

And a million droids firing on you,

And you cannot take it.

You push them all away, quickly as you can,

And you escape in a pod.

 

You do not know where you will go,

You do not even know if you care to know.

 

iii.

 

You end up back on Dathomir,

Which you suppose makes sense.

It is where you started.

It might be where you’ll find a new purpose.

 

“You have a brother,” Talzin says,

But you do not understand,

You do not have kin,

They were- they were.

 

_Killed,_ your mind supplies.

“Not all of them,” she tells you.

She weaves a tale of an exiled zabrak,

And a magical talisman to guide you.

 

His skin is red,

His eyes are amber,

And he seems powerful,

As strong as Dooku,

Perhaps stronger.

 

_A brother_ , you think,

Giddy and guilty and confused,

She tells you of destiny,

And you do not care.

 

She asks you to return and claims to be your mother,

But you only hear her say you and your brother.

 

  
vi.   


 

The world you find yourself on is barren,

Dirt and sand swirl in the harsh wind.

Lotho Minor is no kind world,

But neither is Dathomir.

 

Fires blaze, your talisman quits,

And you howl in desperation.

A snake slithers up to waste your time,

Or, perhaps, to lead the way.

 

You encounter sentients,

And they attack you.

You draw your lightsaber,

And cut them down like grass.

  
It’s almost too easy this way.

 

Eventually, you realize that he must be dead,

Long, long dead, buried, gone.

“She betrayed me,” you growl, and the snake smiles.

“She’s not the only one who betrayed you.”

 

He flicks his tail,

And the ground gives out beneath you.

 

You search the cave, calling out for your brother,

And you find nothing but a crawling creature with metal legs.

It takes you an entire fight to realize it’s a zabrak,

That _this_ is the brother you’ve been searching for.

 

You try to talk to him, but he huddles in the corner,

Muttering to himself, and laughing.

And then the treacherous snake slithers up to you,

And you choke him, demanding information.

 

He’s no help whatsoever, but you try to speak to your brother.

His muttering is becoming more coherent,

and you think he might be remembering.

At least, enough to realize that he’s lost his mind.

 

You can sympathize with that.

You think you know something about losing your mind.

 

Through his muttering you learn who faulted him,

And add the Jedi to your growing list of sinners.

 

You worry for but a moment, when you learn what he wants,

Vengance, retribution, recompense,

And you’ve served the vengeful before.

You know how well that ends.

 

But this is not a master, this is a brother,

and you know how much that matters.

Brothers protect each other, they love each other,

They would do _anything_ for each other,

The way that no one else ever will.

 

_Please, spare him. Take me._

 

You hope that someday, you can have that with Maul.

Maul wants revenge,

And you want a brother,

So you can get behind a quest for revenge.

  


v. 

 

 

You bring him to Talzin,

And get him some legs.

And hope you can help him reclaim his mind.

 

If nothing else, you focus his drive.

He wants his revenge more than ever.

 

You lure Kenobi out,

And you let Maul kill innocents to do it.

 

You feel something,

A phantom of guilt,

But you push it away.

 

Maul is your brother,

And this is what he wants, what he needs,

A few lives are nothing compared to that.

 

There is a fight,

And you are winning until Ventress shows up.

You are winning _after_ she shows up,

But then they team up, and they slide past you.

 

Ventress gets away, as does Kenobi,

You don’t know which is more upsetting.

 

You are both robbed of your win,

And you are forced to begin again.

 

  
vi. 

 

 

You cut a swath through the galaxy,

Pillaging and killing as Maul plots how to regain his revenge.

You completely desensitize yourself to it,

Because the killing needs doing, if you are to remain with your brother.

 

But then, there is confrontation,

And Maul asserts that you must do things _his_ way.

You had always hoped that it would be yours, collectively,

That you would do things as a team.

 

“There is no need for dominance between us,”

You say, amicably, hoping to sway him.

Then he claims that he is your master,

That you are his _apprentice._

 

You don't want to be his apprentice.

Brothers are equals,

But you were apprentice to Dooku, to _Ventress_.

It’s a pretty word for servant, and you want nothing of it.

 

You will be Maul’s brother,

Or the two of you will be nothing at all.

You draw your saberstaff,

Ready for fight him, to ensure that you are equals.

 

It doesn’t work.

He pins you in a moment,

His metal foot pressing against your face,

And you are shocked by his power.

 

He extends his hand, and helps you up,

but makes sure you know you are not equals.

He is the master, and you are the apprentice,

That is all that you will ever be.

 

Whether or not Maul accepts it,

You are brothers, and that means something to you.

You can feel it in your bones, like a flood

You are brothers in all but blood.

 

So you bite your tongue,

And let him think that he’s won.

 

_There are only two left, brother, but only one will survive._

_No, not if I can help it._

 

You will be brothers again,

You will just have to wait until then.

 

  
vii.   
  


 

Slowly but surely, you conquer Mandalore.

It is but a stepping stone in a master plan,

And it is all to draw Kenobi out of hiding,

To give your brother the revenge that he craves.

 

You do not understand it,

But you support him.

That is what brothers do.

They support each other, protect each other.

 

_As long as I live, you will not harm him_

 

You fight beside each other,

As equals, or even as master and apprentice,

You don't care anymore.

All that matters is your brother.

 

Of course, nothing good can last.

Together, you conquer Mandalore,

And Maul effectively puts a saber through Kenobi’s heart,

But in doing so, you attract attention.

 

Specifically, you draw the attention of Lord Sidious.

He enters the throne room,

And you immediately sense an immense darkness.

 

Your brother drops to his knees,

And immediately starts talking,

Weaving a tale of how he used his master’s training,

How he conquered Mandalore for him.

 

It takes you a moment to realize that Maul is _playing him,_

He’s trying to trick his former master.

Your brother is smarter than he looks,

But you doubt that the Sith lord will buy it.

 

Even you know the Rule of Two,

There is no way the one who trained Maul does not,

And you, standing beside the throne, lightsaber on your hilt,

are proof that Maul has broken it.

 

“How unfortunate,” Sidious drawls

that you are attempting to deceive me,”

Maul’s eyes widen in shock.

“Master,” he says, fear flooding into his voice.

 

“You have become a _rival_ ,” Sidious growls.

You shiver as your remember Maul’s words.

_The most powerful being in the galaxy_

Within a moment, you have been pinned with the force.

 

Sidious laughs as he drops you,

And you draw your saberstaff.

This man is powerful, but you will fight him

And try to have faith in yourself and your brother.

 

You knock him down a shaft,

But Sidious pulls you both with him.

Then, he shoves Maul away,

And suddenly it is just you and Sidious.

 

And then, you know it is no fight at all.

You feel a bright red heat in your stomach,

And realize you’ve been impaled on his lightsaber.

 

“Brother,” Maul says, and Sidious flings you across the room.

You feel as if you’re being unwound, unmade,

And your body finally hits the ground.

 

Maul runs to you, and grabs your hand.

He looks terrified, mournful.

You grasp his hand a little tighter, to try to take away the pain.

You know that’s something that you’ve done before.

 

The world has turned blurry, and memories flash before your eyes.

You remember a yellow skinned zabrak,

Grasping your hand, his leg broken beneath him.

“You’ll be alright,” you promise him, ‘I’ll protect you, Feral.”

 

Suddenly, the memory fades

and you are facing the only brother you’ve ever known.

Red skin, not yellow.

Maul, not Feral.

 

But Feral’s face lingers in your mind.

It is familiar,

_Deathly_ familiar,

And you force yourself not to focus on it.

 

You can see green tendrils of magic,

Overflowing from your body.

You are dying, coming undone,

And you clutch Maul’s hand tighter.

 

“Brother,” you say,

“I am an unworthy apprentice.”

You ache within your soul,

And you want your brother to forget you.

 

You aren’t worth mourning.

 

There is something empty about you,

A hollowed out space where something used to be.

That yellow faced boy appears again, first laughing,

And then his look of terror as the life us choked out of him,

As _you_ choke the life out of him.

 

And you can feel the weight of the world

crashing down on you, like a star imploding

as you remember the brother you loved, 

the one you gave your life for. 

 

Guilt washes over you,

for Feral, for Maul,

for the innocents who’ve died by your hand-

 

You feel grateful as the green smoke swirls around you,

Clouding your senses with fog, with pain.

You clutch Maul’s hand a little tighter,

And let out a pained little moan.

 

You are a hollow thing,

Someone else’s monster,

And you aren’t even good enough at it.

You aren’t good enough to protect your brother.

 

He is so much stronger than you,

So much better,

And you could never protect him.

You could never protect _either_ of them,

Even from yourself.

 

_No, brother, brother please_

 

“I’m not like you,” you tell your brother,  

as your body and voice start to fade away,

thinking of nothing but the monster they made you, 

You finally say, “I never was.”


End file.
